Bag o' bling: Part 2

A selection of pieces from the jewelry bag

I don't think I'm going to do anything today. In the past three hours, I have already stepped into a sinkhole, plugged up a dog-dug hole in the fence with bricks, and ended a dog fight with a hose. Yeah, I'm a bad ass. I know. Also, I cooked and ate a stack of pancakes.

I'm still thinking about the jewelry bag I bought last week. It was so much fun to go through the thing after I brought it home. I spent most of the day going through it, examining each piece, selecting the ones I wanted to keep for myself. I can't wait to do it again. I unwittingly discovered another thrifting thing I absolutely love. I don't know why I chose that particular day to do it. I'd seen jewelry lots before. I guess I never felt the need to treasure hunt before. It was a blast :)

My new goal is for $50 a day in sales. My ultimate goal is $100/day, but I figured I needed some middle ground before that time. I'm trying to avoid low value items as much as possible, though occasionally I find something that I have to share. Anyhoo, I am at my goal right now for the month, so I'm feeling like a really good reseller. I'm also feeling like a really tired reseller, trying to work as much as possible when I'm able, housesitting all over town, and making sure the dog gets walked and I get exercise. I'm getting it all done, but I'm feeling worn down in general.

Please take a moment to read the most recent news about Syria, and consider making a donation to MCC, currently providing direct aid to Syrian refugees.

New goals :)

Vintage framed oil painting - dated 1952

1. Walking a marathon
2. Climb a mountain - Be on top of everything
3. Kill honeysuckle in yard
4. Find a new project to immerse myself in :)

Right now, I'm particularly thinking about #4. I feel like I have huge chunks of time that are filled with me being tired, but not sleeping, not working, just tired. And something can be done with this time, and I don't think it's finishing Anna Karenina. I don't know what it is. I don't know if I'm going to start painting large canvases with abstract nudes, paying more attention to my victory garden, or finding a way to open my MCC thrift store.

Graduating without plans to pursue a PhD means I will eventually have to figure out a way to fill the time I once packed to the gills with papers that made no sense, working like a fiend, and occasionally feeding myself with bowls of raisin bran.

I'll let you know what I come up with :)

Thrift Share Monday :)

Vintage clip-on earrings - no signature, but aren't they awesome?

I am being really hard on myself right now. I usually assume that everyone thinks as poorly about me as I do about myself. I don't know that this is true. I've been told that it isn't. These moments (and I have them every once in a while) are full of comparisons to other people, and self-flagellation about not being A, B, or C when I reach age thirty less than two months from now.

Laurel Burch "Toucan" earrings - very fun :)

I wish I thought less of myself, as in, thought I was less important. But I was raised to believe that the world's emotional health was entirely dependent upon me, and that's a tough false belief to shake.

I just know that someone out there would love these, just not me.

When we thrift, like as a lifestyle, nothing is ever perfect. We may see it as perfect, but let's face it. Think of all the hands that touched it before you found it. How's that for perfection? I don't know why I allow everything else in my life to be imperfect, yet continue to expect myself to somehow rise above and defy gravity.

I suppose sometimes I imagine that other people need me to be perfect in order to keep loving me, and my love of thrift is my statement to the world that I will, in fact, never be perfect, and everyone just needs to deal with it. Now if only I could get my frontal lobe involved in this operation...

Linking up with Apron Thrift Girl :)

Makin' things work

Vintage knit suit from Vivanti for Neiman Marcus

So after the car blow up yesterday morning, I went to town on listing my vintage clothing inventory. There really wasn't a ton of it, but it takes more time, blah, blah, blah...I complain about it too much. I am working diligently, listing everything I have. I reduced some big ticket items, hoping they'd sell faster, and now I'm just trying to be calm and not think about it too much.

I called my veggie oil friend, and he said he'd do some research, see if the car is sellable, and what I could do to make that happen. He said I might be able to get $2000 for it, and even though that's what I paid initially, it feels like such a small number now. I know that I don't have a lot, but what I do have is quite a lot of wonderful people in my life, and that's really all that matters to me.

Today I will be doing the same thing I did yesterday, taking a lot of photographs and listing a lot of my inventory. It will be a good day. I'm currently going through books, and enjoying the wonderful selection that I have. Perhaps I will share some with you tomorrow when I have some photos.

To do list :)

Things to do in the near future:

1. Become less fearful of actual human contact
2. Give couch to friend's friend who needs a couch
3. Get comfy chairs for living room
4. Kill all weeds in backyard (never gonna happen)
5. Fill holes in drywall
6. Finish year-end paperwork for good
7. Wash car, inside and out
8. Trim bush outside front door
9. Install outdoor shade
10. Organize inventory (constantly happening)